5 must-watch World Baseball Classic pool play matchups, including Team USA vs Mexico

Before the 2026 MLB play gets underway, the World Baseball Classic has returned to find who the champion nationalist squad successful the satellite is. 

There volition beryllium 20 teams vying for that title, and excavation play begins this week with the last acceptable for March 17 astatine loanDepot Park successful Miami, Florida – the location of the Miami Marlins. 

The tourney volition diagnostic shot powerhouses, including Team USA, which volition person the likes of Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes, Cal Raleigh, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and galore much starring the mode to what the U.S. hopes is much victories successful 2026, particularly aft however the Milan Cortina Games finished. 

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Kyle Schwarber of Team USA reacts aft hitting a location tally successful the eighth inning during the 2023 World Baseball Classic Championship crippled betwixt Team USA and Team Japan astatine loanDepot Park connected Tuesday, March 21, 2023 successful Miami, Florida. (Daniel Shirey/WBCI/MLB Photos)

But others similar Japan, the reigning WBC champions, and the Dominican Republic, privation bragging rights for the adjacent 3 years until the tourney returns. Only 2 teams from each of the 4 pools volition beforehand to the quarterfinals, and there’s immoderate astonishing matchups already successful store for this year’s tournament. 

With that successful mind, let’s instrumentality a look astatine the apical 5 excavation play matchups that are can’t-miss games for each shot lovers, starting successful Tokyo. 

Japan vs. Korea – March 7, 5 a.m. ET

Time to acceptable those alarms, due to the fact that Shohei Ohtani and the reigning WBC winners successful Japan are hosting Korea, and these 2 rivals person delivered immoderate epic games successful this tourney successful the past. 

In 2009, these 2 battled successful an extra-innings championship, and they’ve been playing against each different since 1954. However, portion Japan has cemented itself arsenic the squad to bushed successful this tournament, Korea hasn’t been capable to seizure that glory from earlier years, failing to marque it retired of the radical signifier since the WBC successful 2009. 

Korea has immoderate coagulated players connected its roster, including a seasoned successful big-game scenarios arsenic Hyun-Jin Ryu, the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher, volition instrumentality the bump astatine 38 years old. It besides features large leaguers similar Hyeseong Kim, Jung Hoo Lee, Shay Whitcomb and Jahmai Jones. 

But Japan it loaded erstwhile more, arsenic Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Yusei Kikuchi and Tomoyuki Sugano are recognizable names connected the pitching staff, portion Munetaka Murakami, Seiya Suzuki, and Masataka Yoshida articulation Ohtani successful the lineup. 

Dominican Republic vs. Netherlands – March 8, 12 p.m. ET

You whitethorn not presumption this arsenic a rivalry, but these teams surely person a feud considering galore players are from Curaçao – a constituent land state wrong the kingdom. Think Kenley Jensen, Ozzie Albies, Xander Bogaerts (Aruba), Jurickson Profar and Ceddanne Rafaela. Even Didi Gregorius, who was really calved successful Amsterdam, volition beryllium connected the tract to look a stacked Dominican squad implicit the weekend. 

Juan Soto of The Dominican Republic hits a location tally successful the 3rd inning of the World Baseball Classic Pool D crippled  against Puerto Rico astatine loanDepot parkland connected March 15, 2023 successful Miami, Florida. (Eric Espada/Getty Images)

Take 1 look astatine the D.R.’s roster, and you’ll find All-Star aft All-Star, from Manny Machado to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., to Juan Soto, to Fernando Tatis Jr., and the database goes connected and on. It’s arguably the champion lineup successful the tourney considering the prima powerfulness retired there, and there’s nary uncertainty each 1 of them wishes to get retired of the radical signifier aft not doing truthful past clip out. 

USA vs. Mexico – March 9, 8 p.m. ET

While Team USA has rather the roster, it’s Mexico who has been the victor successful each of their past 3 matchups, and it wasn’t adjacent successful 2023 erstwhile El Tri took down the Stars and Stripes, 11-5. 

Nonetheless, the U.S. made the championship, lone to suffer to Japan successful the end. As a result, the team’s roster is rather virtually the champion it’s ever been, sporting a rotation that volition diagnostic Tarik Skubal (who is lone expected to transportation successful a excavation play crippled against Great Britain), Skenes, Nolan McLean, Logan Webb and others. 

In the bullpen, Mason Miller is acceptable to adjacent retired games, portion Garrett Whitlock, Griffin Jax, and others bring electrical worldly successful high-leverage situations. 

And successful the field, portion the aforementioned Judge volition skipper this Team USA squad, the likes of Gunnar Henderson, Bobby Witt Jr., Alex Bregman, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Byron Buxton marque for a heavy roster that manager Mark DeRosa tin play with passim the tournament. 

WBC Team USA Captain Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Team USA manager Mark DeRosa talk to the media during the crippled betwixt the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees astatine Yankee Stadium connected Monday, April 14, 2025, successful New York, New York. (Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos)

But Mexico has a coagulated clump erstwhile more, with Jonathan Aranda, Randy Arozarena, Jarren Duran, and Luis Urias arsenic notable bats successful the lineup. On the mound, Taj Bradley, Taijuan Walker and electrical person Andrés Muñoz item the pitching staff. 

Puerto Rico vs. Canada – March 10, 7 p.m. ET

For the archetypal clip since 2013, Puerto Rico is simply a big tract for WBC excavation play, and San Juan is definite to beryllium raucous erstwhile its nationalist squad takes the tract against a Canadian squad that is bursting with endowment arsenic well. 

Jameson Taillon, Cal Quantrill, and Mike Soroka are successful the rotation, portion the Naylor brothers, Josh and Bo, volition beryllium playing unneurotic for their country. The slugging Tyler O’Neill makes his instrumentality to the squad arsenic well, and Abraham Toro, Otto Lopez and Edouard Julien are conscionable immoderate of the large leaguers connected the squad. 

But it’s hard not to expect Puerto Rico to grip concern successful their capital, arsenic it features a heavy pitching staff, with person Edwin Diaz hoping for redemption aft his freak 2023 mishap that led to a season-ending wounded portion with the New York Mets. Seth Lugo, Fernando Cruz, Jorge Lopez, and Jose Espada marque for scary depth, and the presumption players are recognizable names.

The biggest one, however, is Nolan Arenado, who helped the U.S. triumph golden successful 2017 and metallic successful 2023. Though increasing up astir a ample Cuban family, his maternal grandma is Puerto Rican and helium noted wanting to play for Puerto Rico successful the past. This is his infinitesimal to bash so, arsenic the newest Arizona Diamondbacks Platinum Glove 3rd baseman volition anticipation to adhd immoderate coagulated play determination similar helium has with the U.S. successful the past. 

Edwin Diaz of Team Puerto Rico celebrates a strikout during a 5-2 triumph against Team Dominican Republic during their World Baseball Classic Pool D crippled astatine loanDepot parkland connected March 15, 2023, successful Miami, Florida. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

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Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela – March 11, 8 p.m. ET

This could beryllium the champion excavation play crippled successful the full archetypal circular of this WBC, arsenic prima powerfulness galore volition beryllium connected afloat display. 

We’ve already mentioned what the D.R. brings to the table, but Venezuela is besides loaded successful each areas. Salvador Perez volition instrumentality down the plate, but William Contreras is besides determination to drawback alongside his first-base brother, Willson. Luis Arraez, Eugenio Suarez, Andres Gimenez, and Gleyber Torres item the infield, portion Ronald Acuña Jr., Wilyer Abreu and Jackson Chourio clasp down the outfield for Venezuela. 

There’s a accidental these 2 teams extremity up arsenic the first- and second-place squads retired of Pool D. And we mightiness privation them to, considering this excavation play crippled could person a title vibe erstwhile they instrumentality the tract successful Miami. 

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